The Bambuco Pageant and Folkloric Festival is the largest and most important celebration in Huila

Department and one of the most important celebrations in southern Colombia. It is celebrated
annually in the city of Neiva during the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul and attracts a considerable
number of Colombian and foreign tourists. The festival was declared National Cultural heritage by
the Congress of Colombia in 2006.
The Festival of the Bambuco Baptizer began in honor to San Juan. A saint of the former Europe
christens, that the Spanish brought to America. In 1790 the governor of this province, don Lucas
de Herazo, arranged the celebration as action of obedience to the King of Spain. It was a question
of a merriment that was extending for 10 days in June, arranging him a series of activities in which
the people was intervening.
The holidays lasted former eight distributed days like that: on June 24 San Juan, 25 San Eloy, 26
San Eloicito, 27 San Churumbelo, 29 San Pedro, 30 San Paul and the first of July, San Pablito, San
Churumbelo and San Churumbelito. During the San Pedro, the huilenses and his visitors they listen
to musical groups it is folclricas that appear in the different official acts and contests of rajaleas
that do part of the menu that entertains the events.
All the municipalities celebrate the National Reign of the Bambuco, contests of the folklore, the
popular one, the sharm, the happiness, diverse schools Sampedritos, the childrens Sanjuanero
and many other festivities by means of parades, coaches and cavalcades encouraged by the
municipal bands that for one month cause admiration between the visitors who come to the
peoples and they think with a mini carnival that it is about the streets and the principal park of
every municipality.
The parades can be by night, by day, aquatic or of goatees. In the parade we see many coaches
each one is decorated alusivamente to something traditional or as honoring to a special person; in
every coach there goes a participant who greets with harmony and happiness the spectators, and
throws sweets to them. Behind of her the bar, dancers and papayeras bands are located. Also
they can accompany to the coaches on representations of myths as: the weeping woman, taita
cigar, alone leg, pure breast, mohan, between others. At the end of the parade a cavalcade comes
to enjoy a walk and to celebrate the holidays.


The Sanjuanero was composed at the beginning of 1936 and touched by the first time in a walk
that the Feminine Lees Huilense, directed by Anselmo, did to the estate of Well he sights, of
property today of don Alfonso Gutirrez, then of lvaro Reyes Elisechea. It was forming a part of
the estudiantina as taedora of soprano miss Sofa Gaitn Yanguas at the time, today lady of Kings.
This girl, after touching, what today we consider as authentic " Air of the Huila ", proposed there
was getting accommodated to this music an appropriate letter, which she itself elaborated not
without the help of other companions.
On June 12, 1936, eve of the employer holiday of Giant (population of the Huila), the
Departmental Band presented for the first time in the mother land of Francisco Eustaquio and Jose
Maria lvarez this work between the plaudit and the complacency of all.
"Sanjuanero" is the name of a kind of music huilense emptied in the molds of the Rajalea. That
of Anselmo Durn does not take a special but generic name of the Sanjuaneo. But it has a
subtitle, that of Venezuelan national dance huilense.
Nowadays, it is the melody, sacred of the Reign of the Bambuco. Composed his music in 1936 for
the teacher Anselmo Duran Plazas, is a variety of the Bambuco. The letter belongs to Sofa Gaitan
Yanguas. In the year 1938, it was released officially in the National Capitol. The first record
recording was realized by the duet Boy and Collazos in the decade of the 50s. The choreography is
a work of the folclorista Ins Garca of They Last, the one who with this work did a great
contribution to the regional folklore.